After
what proved to be a walkover season for Juventus last year despite Roma's best
attempts, Serie A is finally becoming competitive again.
After
being dominated for small periods at a time by several different clubs
recently, Juventus' 3rd consecutive Scudetto win could be the last time we see
that for a little while.
With lots of movement in and out of the division
including some big changes, here's a look at the Serie A title race picture for
the 2014/15 season.
Juventus
After
eventually strolling to a 3rd consecutive league title under manager Antonio
Conte, Juventus are in a strange predicament this summer. Conte has resigned
and been replaced by ex-Milan coach Maximilliano Allegri, while uncertainty
still remains around the future of midfield stars Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal.
Both have been linked with a move to the Premier League with Chelsea and
Manchester United respectively, although Juventus are keen to keep hold of
both.
Juventus
have brought in Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid in a deal worth £16M, while
right-back Seb Liechsteiner has signed a new contract. Left back Patrice Evra
has moved to Turin in a £1.5M move from Manchester United while Roberto
Perrerya has joined from Udinese on loan.
Juventus
so far have managed to shift some dead wood. They sold their share in last
season's top scorer Ciro Immobile ahead of his move to Dortmund, while they
also sold Mirko Vucinic and Fabio Quagliarella for a combined total of £8.5M.
Pablo Osvaldo's loan deal from Southampton was not renewed.
Juventus
were initially planning on moving from a 3-5-2 to a 4-3-3 this season under
Conte, but it's unsure what Allegri is planning on doing with his new side.
Should Vidal or Pogba leave, the club will have a big budget to replenish an
ageing squad but they will leave a gaping hole in the heart of the side. It's a
big season for Juve and Allegri, who has big shoes to fill.
Roma
Roma
are a club on the up. After appointing Rudi Garcia last year, the club went on
an incredible unbeaten run, which saw them concede just one goal in the opening
10 games. However a run of draws saw them lose ground on an impressive Juventus
side and they eventually finished as runners up.
However
after adding Juan Iturbe to their squad and keeping hold of Mehdi Benatia the
club look even stronger. Add to that the signings of Ashley Cole, Seydou Keita
and Urby Emanuelson on free transfers plus Nainggolan's loan deal turning
permanent, Roma have significantly strengthened whilst keeping the majority of
their squad together.
Roma
are my favourites for the league this season due to the disruption in Turin and
4/1 is a huge price. Garcia's style has managed to get the best out of his
players and while Kevin Strootman is set to return to full fitness shortly, the
club are only getting stronger.
Francesco
Totti wants to add another Scudetto to his trophy cabinet as his inevitable
retirement date draws closer and he'll likely get no better chance than this
year.
Napoli
Napoli
are the dark horses in this season's title race under Spaniard Rafa Benitez.
The Naples side have lost last season's goalkeeper Pepe Reina, whose loan deal
expired, while they also sold Pablo Armero to Udinese. However they've replaced
Reina with Argentine shot stopper Mariano Andujar, while also bringing in
forward Michu on a loan deal from Swansea City. Their business seems to be far
from over too. Napoli have been linked with plenty of players this summer, most
recently Marouane Fellaini on a loan deal.
Napoli's
core is solid with Behrami, Insigne, Hamsik and Higuain. With Walter Gargano
and Eduardo Vargas returning from loan too they could have a place in Benitez's
squad.
I
predict another 3rd place finish from Napoli, but they'll run Juventus close
for that runner-up spot.
Inter
Milan
Inter
are in a bit of a pickle this summer. They've been taken over by a
multi-billionaire in Erick Thohir, but haven't spent the money needed to get
back to the top of Serie A. Inter have brought in ex-Man Utd captain Nemanja
Vidic, while they also brought in left-back Dodo and defensive midfielder Yann
M'Vila on season long loan deals. However they've lost Antonio Cassano (end of
loan), Walter Samuel, Ishak Belfodil and long time captain and club legend
Javier Zanetti.
While
their transfer business has been good this summer, it's nowhere near good
enough to get them into the top 3 of Serie A unless something miraculous
occurs. They'll rely on Rodrigo Palacio for their goals this season, while
Mateo Kovacic could be ready for his breakthrough year.
AC
Milan
Finally
the Rossonerri. AC Milan have a wonderful squad of attacking talent and a new
manager, but it just doesn't work for them. Man City and Olympiakos have
hammered them on pre-season already and they've not really strengthened the
squad.
New
boss Filippo Inzaghi has brought in PSG outcasts Alex and Jeremy Menez on free
transfers, while Adil Rami has made his loan move permanent. While he's brought
in fresh faces he's also lost plenty of experience. Captain and playmaker Kaka
has left for the MLS while Urby Emanuelson has signed for Roma on a free
transfer. Add to that the departure of goalkeeper Marco Amelia and the loss of
loan start Adel Taarabt, Milan need to get their act together in the transfer
market.
Inzaghi
has shown passion on the touchline this pre-season but they've struggled
tactically and I feel this season could be a repeat of last year, full of
disappointing performances and lacklustre results. A season in the Top 6 is
what I expect from AC Milan this season, while Balotelli will need to be on
form for them to even achieve that.
By @dmf180593
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